Pennies and Paperclips
by HeCallsMeHisChild
Summary: Whys Maneem so sad? I trys to be good, I trys to be smart, but computer says I can't be smart an' I won't grow no more. Maneem's real sad a lot now, did I do something wrong? Or did she get a bad Irkomm message about me?
1. Grup

**Note:** Hey everyone. Pennies and Paperclips is going through a second revision, in which a chicken is replaced by an alien dog, and a few other details are rewritten. This is in preparation for the upcoming sequel to this fic, known as Marbles and Screws. I'll be writing it with the help of CJBTDI. He's given me a lot of great ideas to go off of, so keep an eye out for the sequel.

...

_98 percent of Irk is barren, paved over and built up in metals and glass to form enormous cities and smeet production plants. For the general public, breeding for smeets is considered illegal. However, for the few Invaders who earn honorable discharge, the option is given to them. They are settled in the 2 percent of land that still flourishes naturally and loosely monitored. Unfortunately, decades spend breathing heavily polluted air and handling radioactive weapons often leaves the natural-born smeets with defects of some sort. They are given a set amount of time to recover or heal from these defects, but if they fail to do so, they are terminated by order of the Control Brains._

"Maneem! Maneem! Look, I gots a doggy!" Grup beamed as he waddled over to the garden.

A slender figure straightened from her hunched position and shielded her eyes with a three-clawed hand. "Oh Grup, where did you get that thing?" She sighed.

'That thing' wagged a whip-like black tail as its tongue lolled out of its mouth. Velvety green fur coated its body, leaving the black legs and tail bare.

"Found it. There was a basket, an' the letters were reeeeeal big an' said my name." The smeet beamed with pleasure. "I can read my name. I'm gonna call it Krull! You like it, Maneem?" He laughed as the dog turned and swiped his face with its tongue.

"Yes, very nice dear." She waved a trowel at him. "Now go in the house and find somewhere to put… Krull."

"Okee-dokee!" Grup stumped into the house, whistling the tune to his favorite song, followed by Krull. His mother's eyes followed him until he disappeared through the door.

She sighed and ran her hand over her antennae. How much longer until they snatched him from her? She shuddered, digging viciously at a weed. _They won't. They have other things to do, other Irkens to look after. They won't bother with one smeet._

Singing at the top of his voice, Grup picked up the squirming puppy and dumped it on his bed. Pulling off his shirt, he proceeded to back into the wall. Wires snaked out and attached to his PAK, shooting battalions of nanobots into his system. For an hour, Grup stood there, patiently waiting until the house computer retracted the wires and heaved a sigh.

"Any luck today, Compy?" He asked.

**Negative. Subject Grup retains original damage to growth hormones and brain cells. Body resistance to nanobots continues.**

"Talk small words, Compy, I can't know what you mean."

**You have a stubborn shell, Grup.**

The smeet's face fell. "Awww, I's still dumb. Why'm I so dumb? I tries so hard to get smart with all the tests and nan-bots, but my body kills all the bots an' my brain can't hold smartness without them. Wha's wrong with my shell, Compy?" Tears streamed down his cheeks.

**Subject Grup, you have asked this multiple times.**

He hung his head. "Me no remember."

**Your brain stopped growing at a very early stage and so did your shell. Neither your shell nor your brain will get any bigger, no matter how old you become.**

"Oh yeah," he mused. "Well, I gotta go, Compy. Krull wants ta play with me!"

**I pity the creature.**

Grup snuggled under downy blankets while his mother tenderly tucked him in. She glanced inquisitively at the extra bulge at his side, but decided not to ask.

"Loves you, Maneem."

"I love you too, Grup."

"Think I'll get smart tomorrow?"

She smiled tiredly. "There's always the chance."

"G'night."

"Good night."

She closed the door to his room behind her gently and padded down the hall, purposefully ignoring the high-pitched yap that rang from his room. Pausing, she flipped a switch on the wall. A colorful hologram materialized, displaying a family picnic. There she was, holding Grup who was shrieking with delight. And there, there was her forevermate, Hinch, before they found out about Grup…

Angrily, she slammed the switch, dispersing the picture. She was just about to go to her room when she heard the Irkomm beep. Hurrying to answer, she pressed another button on the wall and it split to show the viewer.

Her heart stopped.

"My Tallest! To what do I owe this… unexpected honor?" She stammered nervously.

"Oh, I think you know," intoned Red as he sipped a slushee. "The control brains have been monitoring your smeet, Grup I believe? Anyway, his treatments have gone on for a full year and he has not recovered."

"My Tallest, give him more time!" She pleaded. "Any day now, he might recover!"

Tallest Purple appeared onscreen, crunching on nachos. "I don't think so. According to our records his shell was corrupted from the womb and his condition is impossible to reverse. I'm afraid he'll have to be terminated."

Her hands flew to her mouth. "Terminated? But, my Tallest! He's my smeet!"

Red waved his hand distractedly. "Oh, they're plentiful enough, don't worry. You'll have another one. Bring him to the control brains in two days for termination. Tallest out."

And with that, the viewscreen went blank, leaving ex-Invader Vork staring blankly in the dark.


	2. Fareto

"_What do you mean hish growth ish retarded!" Grup hears the voices. They're loud and mad, like they always are when Fareto gets thirsty. He can't go down or he gets slapped. Getting slapped hurts. He goes to his door and sits down real quiet. He can't go down, but he can listen._

"_Hinch, please! He'll hear you."_

"_I don't give a flirk. Let 'im hear, let 'em all hear! No shmeet of mine's gonna grow up t' be a leech on the control brainsh, we're gonna take 'im to them t'morrow, ya hear?"_

"_No! Give him a chance, he'll grow out of it. We're not taking him to termination!"_

_A loud smack. Grup shivers. He hates when Maneem gets slapped, even more than when he gets slapped._

"_Get out." Grup is confused. What is she talking?_

"_Wha?"_

"_Get out! Get out! Get out!" Grup cowers. Maneem is screaming. She only does that when she's real mad. What's happening? Things are shaking, big things are moving. Fareto is shouting and using bad words, lots of 'em. The door slams, and Maneem is crying._

_Grup leaves his room and runs to her. She is on her knees in the middle of the living room, crying lots. He puts his arms around her; she's got to feel better. She hugs him, and everything's okay again._

"Maneem?" Vork started and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Why you crying? Did Fareto come back an' hit you?" His wide, blue eyes were full of concern.

She held out her arms and pasted on a smile. "No, sweety, it's alright. I just… got an Irkomm message that bothered me."

He scampered over and clambered into her arms. "What'd it say?"

The lump in her throat was making it difficult to speak. "Oh, it said… it said…" Her face hardened. "It said that we're going to have to leave home for a little bit. What do you think of that?"

Grup cocked his head doubtfully. "Go somewheres else?"

"Yes. Maybe we'll even go to a different planet. What would you think of that? A whole new world to explore!"

His face split in a wide, toothy grin. "I's likin it! Le's go now!"

She caressed his head softly. "Not now, but tomorrow night. In the meantime, don't tell anyone we're leaving."

"Why?"

"It's a surprise. I'll let you know when we get to our new home, okay?"

"Okay, Maneem."

Behind then, Krull sat in the doorway, head cocked to one side, wagging his tail and drooling.


	3. The Drawstring Bag

Grup grinned, whistling happily. He stumped over to Krull and picked him up.

"Hi Krull, g'morning!" He yelled, startling the poor pup into wakefulness. "We's goin' away, okay? But don't tell no one, Maneem says it's real important no one knows we's goin' to another place, far away. Okay? Now don't tell no one, okay Krull? Good doggy." Excitement raced through him. He was going to a far away place to live! _Maybe then th' other smeets'll stop callin' me names._

A short figure slouched back in his chair and kicked the bottle lying next to his booted foot. It landed with a crash in a larger pile of broken bottles. He folded his hands behind his head and grinned, his zipper teeth gleaming yellow in the light of the computer monitor he observed. It had been worth the monies to plant a bug in the dog's system and leave it with Grup.

"Dream on, kiddo," slurred a gravely voice. "Dream on."

_I hope he'll never need these._ Vork removed the data chips she had placed on Grup's PAK as he slept. Whispering a few, brief commands, she watched as their appearances flickered and dimmed. Light and shadows condensed around them and formed the illusion of two pennies, a paperclip, three screws, and two marbles. Silently, she slipped them into a drawstring bag and left his room.

The next day, Grup didn't wait for the computer to wake him up. He dashed out of bed, singing as loud as he could and calling, "Maneem, c'mon, le's go! Big day, big day, big day!" His laughter pealed out as she caught him up from behind, twirling him around the room.

"That's right Grup, almost ready to go. I just have to pack a few more things, and then we'll go to—" Three harsh knocks rang at the door. Vork stopped, her face paling. Without a word, she whisked Grup into the nearest cabinet and closed the door. "Stay there, Grup." she whispered.

The door exploded, showering Vork with splinters. She raised her arms to shield herself, but was flung to the ground by four SIR units.

"The Tallest were informed you might be making an unexpected detour, so we were sent to accompany you," Intoned one. "Where is the smeet, Grup?"

"Here I is!" came a muffled giggle. "Is dis hide-an'-go-seek?"

Vork's face twisted in horror. Screaming, she struggled against the units. Freeing one hand, she reached for her lasergun. She had just drawn the weapon when she heard a gentle buzz, and felt something pass through her chest. Glancing down, she saw a gaping hole where her heart had been, gushing green blood. She crumpled to the ground and gasped for air.

"MANEEM!" Grup burst from the cabinet and flung himself on her. "Maneem, be okay, be okay!" He pleaded. "I never be bad again if you be okay!"

Groaning with pain, Vork pulled the drawstring pouch from her waistband. "Take… Grup… import… keep safe… your only… must survive… love…" Her eyes widened as a surge of electricity tore through her PAK, erasing her existence. Her shell lay limply on the floor.

The SIR units seized Grup and rocketed out the door with him, his wails trailing back to the stiffening corpse in the house.

"Maneeeeeeem!"

The figure slipped into the house, sighing at the sight that met his eyes. "Well Vork," he snapped, "Y'should have listened to me. You wouldn't be like this if you'd'a just given up the stupid smeet like I told you to! But I wasn't gonna let you ruin us all, no! So Grup's on his way to where he belongs, and I can live with some peace about m'bottles." Growling angrily, Hinch kicked at the green puddles, and stomped off to find a mop.

A low growl stopped him. He turned his head and smirked at the little green ball of fur crouched in the corner. Walking over, he landed a vicious kick to the creature. It yelped, then bit down on Hinch's foot. Snarling, he slammed his other foot against the dog's head again and again. Even after it had released his foot, he continued beating it. When another puddle of green blood joined Vork's on the floor, he stopped.

"Another mess to clean. Wonderful."


	4. Deactivation

"Ma! Ma-m-ma-mama-ma—"

"Silence, smeet. Stand and respect your Tallest!" The SIR unit released Grup's arm. The child cowered on the floor, calling for his mother over and over.

The SIR turned to Tallest Red and Tallest Purple. "He has been this way since we took him. He will not stop calling for his feminine parental unit."

"Thank you." Nodded Red. "Relax, but stand by." Turning to Grup, he bent down to stare at the smeet. Grup shrank back and his cries became more insistent. He clutched something close to his chest. "What have you got there?" Red asked softly.

Grup fell silent, his eyes wide. "Gots ta keep it safe." He whispered. "Maneem tol' me it was important to keep it safe… whys Maneem gone?"

Smiling, Red gleefully answered, "Because she was a criminal."

Grup's face scrunched in confusion. "Wha's a criminal?"

"Someone who breaks rules, someone who does very bad things. Do you know the bad thing your mother did?"

"You lies!" Grup shouted. "Maneem never did nothing bad, never!"

"Yes, she did. She had you. If you hadn't been born, then she would be a good Irken Invader instead of lying dead on the ground like she is now."

"Nooooooooooo!" Wailed Grup. "I be good! I never be bad again, let Maneem come back an' I won't be born so she's okay, pleeeeese!"

Relishing the agony in the smeet's face, Purple joined in. "Too late, Grup." He sneered. "You did it, you can't undo it. It's like you killed her yourself."

"Nooo! Maneem, Maneem, Maneem, ma-ma-ma-ma-ma—" He sobbed, brokenhearted.

Red yawned. "Well, this has been fun, but you have to go now. SIR unit, give me the bag he's holding." Before Grup could react, the robot had snatched the pouch and presented it to Red, who tossed it to Purple. Grup screamed and lunged for it, but the SIR knocked him to the ground and held him there.

Purple loosed the drawstrings and emptied the bag into his hand. Surprised, he snickered, "What the flirk! It's just pennies and paperclips and stuff. He ruined half of it by holding the bag so right anyways." He added, tossing aside a shattered marble and two screws that had snapped. Tucking the rest in his waistband, he ordered, Take that smeet to the Control Brain."

**You are dismissed.**

The SIR unit dumped Grup onto a lifter, saluted, and flew out.

Grup clung to the edges, shaking in terror as the lifter rose in the air.

**Calm down smeet. What is your name?**

The toneless voice resonated around him, but gave him a measure of courage. "Mah name's Grup. Whos you an' why can't I see you?"

**I am the Control Brain, and I'm right behind you.**

The lifter slowed to a halt and Grup shakily picked himself up. Turning around he gazed in awe at a gigantic orb, covered in lights and lenses. One lens was focused intently on him.

His face crumpled as the tears returned. "Maneem didn't do nothing wrong!" he insisted. "Ya gotta bring her back, it's my fault!"

Something like a sigh escaped from the Control Brain.** What has been done cannot be undone, Grup.** He wiped his tear-stained cheeks**. We can only change things now to match what should have been. Turn around, please.**

Obediently, he swiveled away from the orb. Something gripped his PAK. He whirled around, shocked to see his PAK in the robotic arms of the Control Brain.

**Personality and memories deleted, PAK is ready for reintroduction to the system.**

The arms dropped his PAK into a nearby chute and it disappeared from sight.

Feeling weak, he sat heavily. The lifter began to drop, but Grup didn't notice. His mind was cloudy and he was having trouble breathing.

"Fareto no say no good why bag screws Krull gotsa smeet-Greely controlled brains loves a bad dreams," he babbled. His eyes dimmed and grew black. Laboring for each breath, he lay back and gasped, "Maneem!"

Nothing.


	5. Epilogue: Blue

Who's talkin'

_Who's talkin'? Why can't I see? Oh, my eyes is closed. Why's I seein' blue? Everythin' looks blue. Oh, it's Irkens! I'm an… I'm… what am I?_

_What now? Somethin's changing, mah body's movin' an' talkin' without me an' now I see red. I'm in front of an Irken, he looks happy. Mah mouth says, "GIR reporting for duty."_

_The Irken's confused. I sorry! I didn't mean to confuse no one. He asks, "GIR? What does the 'G' stand for?"_

_I see blue again. I's about to blurt out what "G" means but… but I don't know. I can't remember! I tell him so. I move mah head an' it rattles. Tha's funny! I bang mah head an' laugh at the funny noises rolling in mah head._

_There are two other Irkens behind me. Oooooh, theys biiiiig! They make me feel scared, but I dunno why. The first Irken turns to them an' asks, "Um, is it supposed to be stupid?" He looks concerned. No, I can't make no one worried, tha's bad! I know cause… no, I dunno why, but I do know worry's bad, it makes trouble!_

_I dance all happy an' laughin'. That'll cheer him up! Whoops, now I mad him mad. Tha's still no good. I know! I makes up a song to sing to him!_

_Wha's a good song?_

_We're a team_

_We got a theme_

_You're my sunbeam_

_Says my Maneem_

_There's wata in my eyes! When I blink it goes away. Me no like dis feelin', is too sad. I make up different song tha's reeeel easy an' doesn't talk about Maneem. Wha's a Maneem anyways? Ummmmm…doom! Jus' right! If that doesn't make tha grumpy Irken laugh an' smile, I dunno what will._

_Oh! He said doom! Here goes!_

_THE END_


	6. Author's Note

**Note: **Hey everybody! Just letting you know, I'm putting up a sequel to Pennies & Paperclips called Marbles & Screws.. CJBTDI and I are working on it together, so please give it a read, okay? Thanks!


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